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Recommendations by the Council for information infrastructures to develop the research data management

Performance from Diversity

The digital transformation is fundamentally changing the management of data and methods in
science. This rapid development poses a great challenge for science and politics. Since an
efficient management of research data is necessary for science and innovation. With its position
paper “Performance from Diversity” the Council for Information Infrastructures“ (RfII) has now
presented recommendations in order to create sustainable conditions for the management of research
data. It is particularly necessary to set up a National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) as a
network with cross-unit centres.

The Joint Science Conference (GWK), that treats all questions of research funding, science and
research policy strategies and the science system jointly affecting the federal government and the
federal states, commissioned RfII with issuing recommendations for the joint system of science in
Germany.

After handing over the position paper to GWK, Simone Rehm, Vice-Rector for Information
Technology (CIO) at the University of Stuttgart and member on the Council for Information
Infrastructures said: “Modern technologies in data management create the infrastructure basis for
cutting-edge research and teaching in Germany. Each university must make its contribution here so
that we are able to form necessary synergies in research data management nationally and
internationally.”

Ms Rehm further emphasised that the University of Stuttgart already has an excellent
infrastructure for large-scale data management at its disposal today – also in cooperation with
other science facilities. However, what is decisive for the future, according to Ms Rehm, is that
the scientists are given advice regarding their research work at an early stage in terms of which
data is to be stored in which way, how data can be published and how a legally viable subsequent
use can also take place, if need be.

In spite of the rapid progress in utilisable technologies for science in Germany, successful
decentralised initiatives and multiple thematic leaderships of German facilities are particularly
lacking the use of cross subject and institution synergies as well as a coherent observation for
the entirety of the science system, as it is stated in the analysis of the RfII position paper. The
Council derives various recommendations from these estimations:

The efficiency and coordination of the research data management in Germany must be improved in
future through a distributed national infrastructure.

Through quality assurance and legal framework conditions a data responsibility must be anchored
in science for all phases of the data life cycle.

Research data management in Germany must develop itself in a European and global
framework.

Council for Information Infrastructures

The committee fulfils a hinge function between science and politics. It is to consult politics
and science in future questions relating to digital science. The self-organisation forms in science
should be strengthened in order to promote science-driven developments. The members work in an
honorary capacity and are appointed by GWK for four years.